Flamingoers, plan to participate in our always-fun Dutch Oven Cooking Demo! Bring your cast iron cookpot and the ingredients below; you’ll learn how to make delicious “monkey bread” during this special workshop with an accomplished Dutch Oven camp cook.

The complete recipe and group instruction will be available when you get to Alumaflamingo (and by now you’ve received your Get Ready Guide with all the info you need for your week in Sarasota). Be sure to add these items to your galley!

10” or 12” Dutch Oven

Kitchen shears

Aluminum foil

2 rolls of Pillsbury biscuits

1/2 cup sugar and 3 Tbsp cinnamon, tossed together in a large ziploc bag

Tampa RV, our official Airstream dealer sponsor, will be offering Alumaflamingo attendees an exclusive special for new units purchased during the event in Sarasota.

The “Money Match” program represents a big savings to ‘Flamingoers in the market for a new Airstream: Tampa RV will match your downpayment toward the purchase of any new unit—up to $2,000!

The dealership will be bringing several gorgeous new Airstreams for you to tour (and all will be for sale). Drop by their onsite sales office—you can’t miss it, on the fairgrounds near the Potter building—to say hello and ask questions. All those who sign up for the Airstream mailing list will receive a free, high quality Airstream golf jacket!

Learn the art of “iPhoneography” at Alumaflamingo! Photographer Matt Larson will host “Getting the Most Out of Your iPhone—Taking Better Pictures” on Friday 2/27, at noon, in the Ken Clark building.

The four-hour class will include an instructional presentation, hands-on learning and shooting time, and a wrap-up critique and review of images. “The purpose is to improve your iPhone photography skills, and discover apps that allow you to shoot and edit on the fly,” said Matt.

Photographer Matt Larson and Rebecca Sexton Larson, cofounders of Boxfotos, are a husband and wife “art couple” who work, teach and exhibit historic photographic works out of their 23-foot, 2008 International Flying Cloud Airstream.

“Having a mobile gallery space and classroom is more practical then buying or renting a traditional business space,” said Matt. “Plus, we don’t have to decide which city to live in—we can go anywhere!”

The couple is quickly creating a brand and a national following as they change the traditional fine art business model by going mobile, and marketing their own artwork. Boxfotos has been referred to as “Monsters of Mobile Art,” “Creative on Wheels” and “Art in a Box” by local and international media outlets and publications.

Catch Rebecca’s lecture “Meet Boxfotos Airstream” on Thursday 2/26 (in the Potter building at Alumaflamingo) to hear how Boxfotos was formed and learn some of the historic photography processes they use, including pinhole, salt printing, collodion, and bromoil techniques.

Boxfotos is offering the iPhoneography seminar to Alumaflamingo attendees at a special price: only $40 (regularly a $150 value).

To participate, you’ll need to bring an iPhone (sorry, no substitutions), fully charged, with your charging cable. A working account to the Apple App store is recommended (but not required), as well as the ability to download selected iPhone Apps.

Sign up at the Alumaflamingo registration desk as soon as you arrive; this sure-to-be-sold-out seminar is limited to 40 people.

At Alumaflamingo you’ll learn what it takes to make great wine and beer in your own home.

Craft beers, microbrews, and home brewing have peaked in popularity in recent years. Beer drinkers have become more experimental, and there are more resources for brewing your own custom beers than ever before.

Craig Stephens was a home brewer before he switched to home wine making. “I used to brew, but my wife is not fond of the house smelling like a brewery,” he said. “I rather like the smell, but then, I like beer!”

When he switched to home wine making he discovered that it was “really easy” to make great wine at home. Any style of wine can be made—simply vary the grape type and technique—and the equipment is easy to obtain and maintain.

Craig will share his winemaking secrets, and Steve Rosenthal, an accomplished home brewer, will teach beer brewing techniques during the second half of the Alumaflamingo seminar.

“Steve and I will talk the seminar attendees through the basics, as well as provide a few tips from experience,” said Craig. “Making beer can actually be more complex than wine, because there are more elements.”

When’s the best time to sign up for Alumaflamingo? That time is now, and here’s why.

Take it from us, you’ll want to register for Alumaflamingo online. Though you’re welcome to, those who arrive without a pre-registration receipt will be required to park their rig in a bullpen holding area, walk to the reg desk, and wait in line before being assigned a campsite—all while the preregistered Airstreamers lounge in the sun or stroll the vendor displays.

Onsite registration is not a fast process, so sign up now and proceed directly to your site in Sarasota!

Check out the latest preliminary event program, too—highlights include behind-the-scenes tours of Sarasota sights, the main stage performance by Antsy McClain, cooking classes and culinary adventures, and new seminars about all things Airstream (and one just for trailering newbies).

(Or give us a call at 813-200-8877, or email us at info@randbevents.com)

If you’re already registered, fantastic—we’ll see you in sunny Florida February 24 – March 1! Watch your email for your Get Ready Guide with all the info you’ll need to make the most of Alumaflamingo week and your visit to Sarasota.

Established in 1939, Jungle Gardens is one of the oldest, most popular attractions in Florida—and it will be a highlight offsite excursion during Alumaflamingo.

“A tropical adventure awaits all who visit the Sarasota Jungle Gardens,” where more than 150 native and exotic animals cavort, climb, crawl and fly: birds of prey, parrots and macaws, primates, snakes, iguanas, alligators, crocodiles, and, best of all, a huge flock of Florida’s famous pink flamingos. All are well cared for (many are rescues) under Florida Fish and Wildlife guidelines.

As Sarasota Jungle Gardens is one of the few zoos in the United States that allows their flock to roam freely, you’ll have the rare opportunity to mingle among the flamingos and feed them by hand.

You know the rules: Play an instrument, tell a joke, perform an interpretive dance, and/or sing a song while the audience cheers…or you get the gong.

Anyone and everyone is encouraged to perform! It’s all in good fun, and proceeds go to charity. (Read more details here.)

Add your guitar, bongos, costume, comic props and whatever else you need to bring down the house to your Alumaflamingo packing list, and look for the sign-up form at the registration desk when you arrive in Sarasota.

Alumaflamingo 2015 will be full of other fun entertainment, including live shows most nights, jam sessions, and popular crowd-pleaser Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours.

One of most fun aspects of the Alumaevents are the offsite adventures, and the factory tours are always a hit.

Not only do they provide insight into the culture and history of the region, company tours offer the opportunity to learn about American made products and appreciate the people who make them.

During Alumaflamingo you’ll see inside the family-owned Cavanaugh Company, manufacturer of a variety of musical products: Black Diamond Strings for fretted instruments (like the guitar), Super-Sensitive strings for bowed instruments (like the violin and cello), and BARI synthetic reeds and mouthpieces, used in clarinets and saxophones.

Traditionally, gut violin strings are used, but changes in temperature can ruin their sound. To solve this problem the Cavanaugh company developed their “Sensicore” line of nylon strings. (Similarly, natural cane reeds can be inconsistent, and synthetic reeds were developed by a saxophonist—the founder of Bari—in 1952.)

Metal strings have their own unique characteristics, too, and are designed to create a specific sound. Tone and strength are considerations. And how instrument strings are polished makes a world of difference. Who knew, right?

Their line of Black Diamond guitar strings—developed in 1890—have a rich history. “We get calls weekly from folks who discovered a vintage set in their dad’s old guitar case,” states the website. “They’re looking for that same set. They want to carry on the tradition.”

This tour is limited, so sign up at the registration desk as soon as you arrive! Download the Preliminary Event Program to check out the other fun and fascinating tours on the Alumaflamingo schedule.

Over 75 automobiles are displayed, “consisting of the alphabet of the world’s foremost automobile manufacturers”: Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Cadillac, DeLorean, Edsel and Ferrari.

The museum also houses a fun antique arcade game display, an antique camera exhibit, and a wonderful gift shop—full of rare collectibles—where you can pick up a mini-memento of your loved one’s favorite car.

Aaah…Florida in February. Hopefully you’re signed up for a sensational week in sunny Sarasota!

At Alumaflamingo 2015—February 24 to March 1—you’ll have the opportunity to kayak with dolphins, learn how to fly fish, taste award-winning rum, pet a manatee, and sing along live with Antsy McClain and the Trailer Park Troubadours. But access to Airstream-oriented suppliers, informative tech seminars, and one on one interaction with trailering experts is what makes Alumaflamingo so special. Come for the sun, stay for the vendors!

Among them will be Dexter Axle, who will also host a seminar AND offer onsite bearing repack and brake service. (Newbies, this is a real perk—find out more onsite!)

Tampa RV will once again be the official Airstream dealer sponsor of the event, and will bring a shiny fleet of new models to tour.

Representatives from Airstream, Inc. will be joining in the fun as well—Justin Humphreys (VP Sales) will present his “State of Airstream” address, and Tim Maxwell (Regional Representative) will host tech seminars. Both Justin and Tim are looking forward to meeting and mingling with attendees.

There will be a hands-on polishing and exterior maintenance seminar, a session on batteries, solar power, and charging systems, a newbie class, and much, much more. Download the Preliminary Program to learn more about the valuable education (and fun) planned during Alumaflamingo week.

Not yet registered? There’s still time and space available to join us next month, but hurry! It’s easy to sign up right here online.